On which I write about the books I read, science, science fiction, fantasy, and anything else that I want to. Currently trying to read and comment upon every novel that has won the Hugo and International Fantasy awards.

Friday, March 20, 2015

It's Friday again, and this means it's time for Follow Friday. There has been a slight change to the format, as now there are two Follow Friday hosts blogs and two Follow Friday Features Bloggers each week. To join the fun and make now book blogger friends, just follow these simple rules:

Follow both of the Follow My Book Blog Friday Hosts (Parajunkee and Alison Can Read) and any one else you want to follow on the list.

Grab the button up there and place it in a post, this post is for people to find a place to say hi in your comments.

Follow, follow, follow as many as you can, as many as you want, or just follow a few. The whole point is to make new friends and find new blogs. Also, don't just follow, comment and say hi. Another blogger might not know you are a new follower if you don't say "Hi".

If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the love . . . and the followers.

If you want to show the link list, just follow the link below the entries and copy and paste it within your post!

If you're new to the Follow Friday Hop, comment and let me know, so I can stop by and check out your blog!

And now for the Follow Friday Question: Have you ever been inspired by a book character to do something? Who was the character and what was it?

Not directly, no. I've never decided to take a particular course of action as a result of the inspiration provided by a specific character, or even a specific book.I wasn't inspired to become a soldier after reading about Johnny Rico in Starship Troopers. I wasn't inspired to found a colony based upon the predictive power of psychohistory after reading about Hari Seldon in Foundation. I wasn't inspired to reclaim my ancient heritage as a king after reading about Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings. And I wasn't inspired to join an expedition to Jupiter after reading about Dave Bowman in 2001: A Space Odyssey. Individual characters simply haven't had that kind of impact upon me.

But the books I have read have shaped my outlook, and many of the views I hold are certainly derived from them. Reading shapes the way we view the world. One might say that all media shapes the way we view the world, but most popular media in music, television, and movies is merely a reflection of the already dominant culture, reinforcing both the good and the bad of the world we already live in. And to a certain extent, the dollar figures associated with such media ensures that they will mostly stay that way: No one wants to risk large sums of money on a venture that may be regarded by the general public as distasteful, odd, or curious. But books have the luxury of being experimental. An author can explore ideas that are off the beaten path. And author also has more time to shape the perceptions of the reader. A movie lasts for less than two hours. A decent novel will take far longer than that to read, and will pack much more information into its pages than a movie can put on the screen.

So while I really haven't been inspired by any characters, I have been inspired by authors and the books they wrote: Andre Norton, Ursula K. Le Guin, Arthur C. Clarke, Poul Anderson, J.R.R. Tolkien, and too many others to count. They, for the most part, defined what being a good person meant, and showed how to be one. They showed what being a worthwhile person meant, and showed how to be one. I am who I am in large part because of the long trail of books that I have read.

Love your answer! I felt much the same way for this weeks question. And to be honest, if I was inspired to 'do' anything by the characters in some of the novels I read, I'd either be in prison or a mental institution! LOL x

@Kate Ward: Good point. Given that most of the novels I read are science fiction or fantasy, emulating the characters in them would likely be either an impossibility or would land one in serious trouble.

@Shannon R: One might say that one of the primary purposes of art, no matter the form, is to inspire. I know that I get more out of art that has something to say than stuff that is described as "mindless entertainment".

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